Reclosable carton



April 12, 1938. A. J. WEISS RECLOSABLE CARTON Filed March 27, 193.5

2 Sheets-Sheet l BY 6 W ATTORNEY.

April 12, 1938.

A. J. WEISS RECLOSABLE CARTON Filed March 2'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W ATTORNEY- Patented Apr. 12,1938

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECLOSABLE CARTON Application March 27, 1935, Serial No. 13,183

10 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) The present invention relates to an improvement in reclosable cartons, made of a single blank, from paper board or the like, and has for its principal features the provision of a sift proof provided with permanent and temporary seals, I

the temporary seals being readily broken, to provide an access into the carton, and which temporary sealing portions are thereafter used to reclose the carton.

The foregoing, and other features of advantage will be apprehended as the herein description proceeds and it will be obvious that modifications may be made herein, without departing from the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the carton, in erected form;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carton, as it appears opened;

Fig. 3 is a reduced view of the carton blank;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of carton;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a further modified form of carton;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a carton, modified over those shown in the preceding figures;

Fig. '7 is a blank layout of the carton of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary portion of the blank of Fi 6.

As in Figs. 3, 7 and. 8 the blank comprises top and bottom body forming panels 8 and 1, side forming panels 8 and 5 and a tuck flap 2, the latter being defined from top panel 6 by a score line a, top panel 6, Fig. 3, being defined from side panel 8 by a score line b, panel 9 in turn being defined from bottom panel I by a score line and bottom panel I being defined from side panel by score line 11.

Side panel 5, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and '7 has a finger out out 5, whereby when the carton is in erect form as in Fig. 1, the cover panel 6 and the tuck flap 2 may be grasped by the fingers to open the cover.

All of the body forming panels 5, I, 8 and 6,

have end closing flaps 3-4, at their opposite ends, said flaps being cut from each other but are scoredly attached to their associate panels.

In Fig. 3, the panels 5, 1, 8 and 6 have major and minor end flaps 4, 4, 4, and 4 defined by a common score line 0, and at their opposite ends have major and minor end closing flaps 3, 3, 3

and 3 defined therefrom by a common score line I.

Panel 6, Fig. 3, at its opposite flap ends, has the transverse score line junctions at e and f perforated as at A-A, from the longitudinal score line a, to the longitudinal score line b, as viewed in Fig. 3.

Tuck flap 2, when the carton is printed, this being on the obverse side of the blank as viewed in Fig. 3, and as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a printed on glue resist, generally denoted by the shading H, leaving a row of uncovered glue spots 9, in which the surface of the paper board is left free to accept glue to form a temporary seal between the glue resist surface ll of tuck flap 2 and the inner face, Fig. 2, of side forming panel 5, which has a stripe of glue G on its inside face Fig. 2, and as shown by the dotted shading and as shown shaded at G, Fig. 3. This stripe G when the carton is glue sealed, registers with the row of glue spots 9.

When the carton blank is printed and is ready to be glued, the stripe of glue, Fig. 3, is placed thereon, and the carton panels 2 and 6 are overfolded on score line b, bringing the tuck flap 2 over to rest upon panel 1, then the panel 5 is overfolded on its score line d, Fig. 3, and the glue stripe brought up and over to register with the glue spots 9' on tuck flap 2, and as the glue sets, these are joined together in a temporary seal, for purposes later to be described. As thus described, the tuck flap 2, becomes a temporary glue lap.

As thus made, the carton is fiat, being folded on score lines 12 and d, and is ready to be shipped to the user to be erected, to be filled with merchandise and finally sealed. This final sealing is accomplished, as in Fig. 3, by glueing the exposed surfaces of the end closing flaps 4-4 and 3-3 of panels 6 and I, as indicated by shading thereon.

Then the minor flaps 4-4 and 3-3 of side forming panels 5 and 8 are intur'ned, and the glued flaps 4-3 of bottom panel 1 are inturned to become attached to the end flaps 44 and'3 .3 of side panels 5 and 8, then the glued end flaps 43 of cover panel 6 are overfolded on to the end flaps 4-3 of bottom panel I, and thus the end closing flaps are all secured to permanently seal the ends of the carton.

As thus erected and sealed, the carton has a permanent end seal, a temporary cover tuck flap seal and a cover panel-weakened connection on its opposite ends to its adjacent outer end closing flaps 4-3.

To open the carton, a knife blade, or similar member is entered into the crack between the outside face of the inwardly disposed tuck flap 2 and the inside glue resist face of panel 5, and by running the knife blade along the seam between edges a and I 2, the glue seals of the spots a are broken from glue stripe G, then the two weakened lines of weakened resistance A-A are broken and the tuck flap and cover 6 grasped by the fingers by reason of the cut-out l, and the cover 5 is opened as in Fig. 2, the rear score line b acting as a hinge therefor.

When desired, the cover 6 may be reclosed, by tucking tuck flap 2 back into its original position in the carton.

The cartons of Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive are made up of substantially similar construction as the carton of Figs. 1 and 2. In the Figs. 4 to 8 inelusive, like indices are used to indicate parts of similar or like nature in Figs. 1 to 3.

The difference of the carton structure of Fig. 4 over Figs. 1 and 2 lies in the outside lapping and gluing of the sealing tuck flap 2, using spaced glue spotting G, to seal the flap 2 to the outer face of panel 5. The temporary seal spotting G may be accomplished as described for Fig. 3, or the glue spots G may be printed on directly.

A further difference in the carton of Fig. 4 over the carton of Fig. 1 is that the lines of weakened resistance AA of Fig. l have been altered on Fig. 4, and, as in said Fig. 4 and Fig. 8, the

cover panel 6 has the lines of weakening CC arranged to converge, across the surface of panel 6 starting at the opposite, outer ends of the tuck panel 2, at its score line a, curving slightly inward, and then passing backwardly in two converging straight lines of perforation C--C and ending at the cover score line b.

As thus shown in Fig. 4, a knife, or similar edge is passed up under edge g of flap 2, and the spotted, temporary seal G broken, then the cover panel 6 is broken at its lines of weakened connection CC and opened on its hinge score I), leaving two end reinforcing panel fiaps E-E on opposite ends of the carton.

Fig. 6 combines the feature ofthe modified lines of weakened resistance CC of Fig. 4 with the feature of the tuck flap 2 being temporarily sealed inside of panel 5 as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 has all of the structural features of Figs. 1, 2 and 6, with the exception that the cover panel 6 has converging lines of weakened tear resistance B-B, similar to CC of Fig. 4, but these lines B-B terminate short of the rear score line b, and are intersected by a hinge score line D, all disclosed in the blank layout of Fig. 7. As thus shown, when the inside tuck flap Z is released and the lines BB broken, the cover panel 6 is lifted, as indicated by the dot-dash lines of Fig. 5 leaving reinforcing portions E--E on both ends of the carton, which merge into and join the rear reinforcing portion F, Fig. 4, thus leaving the side and rear wall portions 36 and 8 well supported.

It will thus be observed that while the single piece blanks of all of these cartons are quite similar, and the functions are the same, some structural features vary in the modifications herein, but all of the modifications are directed to structures having features in common, such as lines of weakened tear resistance, a single wall forming element convertible into a cover forming element having a means for forming a temporary glue lap which is convertible into a. carton reclosing tuck flap.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is;

1. A carton formed of a blank of paper board comprising bottom and top panel members having coacting front and rear side members, opposite ends consisting of flaps which extend from said members, said flaps being permanently glued together and the front member having at the top thereof a finger space, said front member having on inner face a glue strip, and a tuck lap extending from the front edge portion of the top panel and having on one face thereof spaced glue receiving spots, said lap being innermost and the spots being engaged with the glue to form a seal, said top panel having therein weakened lines which extend backwardly from the ends of said front edge portion, said lines forming end boundaries of a closure, whereby said faces may be readily urged apart to break the seal, so that said lap and the top panel may be manually grasped at the finger space whereby to open the closure, the structure being then also broken on said weakened lines.

2. A carton formed of a blank of paper board which is cut and scored to provide bottom and top panel members having coacting front and rear side members, opposed ends consisting of flaps which extend from said members, said flaps being adhesively attached together and the front member having at the top thereof a finger space. said front member having on its inner face aglue strip, and a tuck lap extending from the front margin of the top panel and having on the outer face thereof glue receiving spots, there being glue resisting material on the other portions of said latter face, said lap being innermost and the spots being engaged against the strip to form a seal, said top member having therein two weakened lines which extend rearward from the ends of said margin, there being a hinge line connecting the rear ends of the first line, said lines being boundaries of a closure, whereby said faces may be urged apart to readily break the seal, so that said lap and the top member may be grasped at the finger space whereby to open the closure, the structure being then also broken on said weakened lines.

3. A carton according toclaim 1, wherein the weakened lines are inclined inwardly from their front ends and are spaced from the ends of the carton, there being portions of the top panel between the last mentioned ends and the ends of the closure, said top panel portions being adapted to form finger supports while the closure is being opened.

4. A carton according to claim 2, wherein the closure member is reclosable, the tuck lap being again engageable inside of the front side.

5. A paperboard carton comprising bottom and top panel members having coacting front and rear side members, opposed ends consisting of flaps which extend from said members, said flaps being attached together at the respective ends, said front member having at the top thereof a finger space, said front member having on its inner face a glue strip, and a tuck lap extending from the front margin of the top member and having on the outer face thereof glue receiving spots, there being glue resisting material around said spots, said lap being innermost and the spots being adhesively engaged on the strip to form a seal, said top panel having therein weakened lines which extend inwardly and backwardly from the ends of said margin, there being a hinge line connecting the rear ends of the first lines, said lines defining a closure and there being 'a top area outside of said lines, may be urged apart to readily break the seal, so that said lap and the top member may be grasped at the finger space with one hand of a user to open the closure, the top panel being then also broken on said weakened lines, said area forming a support for the other hand of the user.

6. A carton formed from a blank of paper board comprising opposed top and bottom panels and opposed front and rear panels each of which panels has inwardly closed end flaps forming permanent end walls, certain of said flaps having adhesive material thereon; the top panel having extending completely along its front edge portion a tuck lap which is engageable against the inner face of the front panel; said top panel having therein forwardly of its rear margin a hinge line, and there being inclined severed lines extending through said top panel from the ends of said front edge portion to the ends of said hinge line whereby to form a reclosable cover, said rear margin and the end portions of said top panel outside of the severed lines forming carton reinforcements.

'7. In a carton which is formed from a blank of paper board comprising a body including permanent end walls and coacting front and rear panels, said front panel having a finger indent therein; a top panel having a margin extending along the rear panel, end margins continuous with the first margin and terminating in pointed portions at the ends of said front panel, a manipulable cover having its rear portion hingedly continuous with the first mentioned margin, said cover having itsends formed to fit against the edges of the end margins, and a tuck lap extending from the front margin of said cover and being engageable against the inner face of said front panel, whereby said lap and the cover thereat may be grasped at said indent by the fingers of a user.

8. In a carton of the class described comprising a bottom and having a rear wall and opposite end wall members, a front wall having integral whereby said faces end members cooperating with the first end members, a closure flap extending from said rear wall and having a tuck lap on its front part, and means detachably sealing said front wall and said lap, said means including on the inner face of said front wall and below its top portion a glue strip which extends to the opposite ends, and glue receiving spots on the front face of said lap, said spots being in registry with said strip and there being glue resisting material on the face of said lap so as to provide said spots.

9. A carton made from one piece of paperboard comprising a bottom and opposed front and rear folds, flaps carried by the ends of said folds and bottom and adhesively attached to form opposite permanent ends of the carton, said permanent ends and the opposed folds having their top parts disposed on the same horizontal plane; a top fold and closure having a back hinge line, said closure having a front tuck flap; a temporary seal consisting of a glue strip extending along the front fold below its top edge, said tuck flap having on its longitudinal medial portion spaced glue receiving spots which cooperate with said strip; said top fold having therein tear lines which extend back to the hinge line from the ends of the tuck flap; whereby the temporary seal may be broken so that the material may then be ruptured along the tear lines for hingedly opening the closure.

10. A carton made from a blank of paperboard comprising a body including a front wall member having extending therealong distant from the top edge thereof a strip of adhesive; 9. top wall having a front attaching flap member, said latter member having extending backwardly from its ends converging weakened lines to provide an openable closure portion; said flap member having thereon between its longitudinal edges and spaced therefrom a line of spaced glue receiving spots, the spots being provided by a, glue resistant between and around said spots, the latter being in registry with the glue strip, the spots being attachable to the strip to close the carton by providing a temporary seal, there being along the seal throughout its length freely engaging portions of said wall and flap members. said portions being capable of being urged apart to break the seal, so that the flap and wall portions thereat may then be grasped for breaking the material along said converging lines whereby to open said closure portion.

ARTHUR J. WEISS. 

